Bono reveals he always wears sunglasses because of glaucoma

Bono, the U2 frontman, has revealed that he wears dark glasses all the time because he suffers from glaucoma. The star said he has had the condition - a build-up of pressure in the eyeball, which can damage the optic nerve and lead to blindness if not treated - for around two decades.

Many had assumed his ever-present sunglasses - even indoors - were a rock star affectation, but he explained during a recording of the Graham Norton Show for BBC One that they are to help with his vision problem. Glaucoma can make the eyes more sensitive to light, causing sufferers to use dark glasses to alleviate difficulties.

Presenter Norton asked whether or not the singer ever removes his shades, to which Bono replied: "This is a good place to explain to people that I've had glaucoma for the last 20 years. I have good treatments and I am going to be fine." He added: "You're not going to get this out of your head now and you will be saying 'Ah, poor old blind Bono'."

The Irish band were on the show to promote their new album, Songs Of Innocence, which was released commercially this week after previously being given away to half a billion iTunes customers, a controversial move which upset some people who said they did not want it automatically added to their music libraries.

Speaking about the future, Bono told Norton: "We wanted to do something fresh but it seems some people don't believe in Father Christmas.”All those people who were uninterested in U2 are now mad at U2. As far as we are concerned, it's an improvement."

The album is expected to go into the top five this weekend, but will be the group's first album since Achtung Baby in 1991 which will not debut at number one in the UK chart.

Question 1 (2 points) Indicate whether the following statements are true or false and write down which part of the text justifies your answer.

a. Bono could become blind because of his condition.

b. All U2 fans knew why he always wears dark glasses.

c. All those iTunes users who are now angry were U2 fans.

d. “Songs Of Innocence” will very likely be a hit.

Question 2 (2 points) Answer the following questions in your own words.

a. What does Bono say about his vision problem?

b. Why are some iTunes users upset?

Question 3 (1.5 points) Find words or phrases in the text that correspond in meaning to the words and definitions given.

a. illness (par.1)                       b. pose  (par.2)                             c. take off (par.3)

d. donate (par.4)                      e. original, new (par.5)

Question 4 (1.5 points) Complete the following sentences without changing the meaning.

a. The song was released commercially after it was added to iTunes musical libraries.

They …………………………………………………………………

           b. "We wanted to do something fresh but it seems some people don't believe in Father Christmas.”

            Bono said that  ……………………………....

c. Bono always wears dark glasses because he has a vision problem.

           If Bono ………………………………………......

Question 5 (3 points) Write a short essay (120-150 words) on the following topic:

            What kinds of music do teenagers like?